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Kingdom of Occitania
History Early Settlements In approximately 600 BCE, Phocaean Greeks founded the city of Massalia in what is today western Occitania. The Greek colony, later called Massilia, was annexed by the Romans under Julius Caesar in the year 69 BCE. Some hundred years or so later, the Roman Catholic diocese of Marseilles was established in the same area. To this day, a town going by the same name, Marseilles, exists in the same general area. Further east, a settlement called Nice was known to have existed as far back as the 3rd century BCE. Founding of the Kingdom of Occitania During the Hundred Years' War, (1337-1453) a warlord by the name of Octavian began to muster a large army in region then known as Provence. As an outspoken nobleman, Octavian saw the turmoil of the Hundred Years' War as his time to gain fame and glory. Taking advantage of the relatively weak armies of medieval Europe, he sought to build a professional army along the lines of the Roman Legions that existed over a millennia ago. Octavian was an open-minded and cunning lord, and as a result, he was able to gain the support of droves of lower-class Provençal. One man by the name of Charles Brebant, quickly rose in rank, eventually becoming one of Octavian's closest aides. Brebant's role in the Octavian Legion was tremendous, as he had connections with the English crown. In 1406, Brebant was sent to England to enlist the help of the English crown. This embassy was successful - as Henry IV of England saw the rise of Octavian as a chance to further destabilize France and her allies. In early 1407, Brebant returned to Octavian with several members of the English lower nobility, all of whom were exceptional knights and commanders. Using their knowledge, the Octavian Legion was shaped into a formidable fighting force by the end of 1408 and stood as one of the first standing armies in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire. Land was gained at an astonishingly rapid rate, with the ever-growing legion conquering as far west as Avignon, and as far north as Grenoble. The Renaissance Era Aix-la-Marr was proclaimed on the 6th of June, 1416 at the site of a village called Magnant. Octavian wanted a new capital for his recently-established kingdom, and this particular settlement held quite some significance, as it was his hometown. The Enlightenment French Revolution & Napoleonic Wars Although its government was not nearly as autocratic nor incompetent as that of pre-Revolutionary France, the Monarchy of Occitania feared a copycat uprising. During the years in which the French Revolution and the following French Revolutionary Wars occurred, the government of the Kingdom of Occitania took precautious steps to appease the demands of its subjects and to secure alliances with the other European powers standing against Revolutionary France. During the War of the First Coalition, (1792-1797) the Octavians were soundly part of the Alliance. Due to the Kingdom of Occitania's longstanding ties with Britain, King Logan II allowed for British naval and land forces to be stationed within the country. In these years, the port city of Toulon became a massive temporary naval base for the (British) Royal Navy. Bolstered by British forces, the core of the Kingdom of Occitania would remain virtually untouched by the armies of Republican France until the end of the War of the Second Coalition in 1802. Occitania proved to be a painful thorn in France's side at the turn of the 19th century. Towards the end of 1801, French commander Napoleon Bonaparte amassed a large army with the intent of dislodging the British and defeating the Kingdom of Occitania once and for all. In the months of December 1801 and January 1802, the French Armeé du Sud (Army of the South) thrust its way into the country from the west. On Christmas Eve, 1801, the main British force stationed at what is today known as Raymond County was defeated in a surprise attack. Using heated cannonballs, Napoleon's artillery batteries were able to both rout the Royal Navy from Toulon and lay a deadly siege on Aix-la-Marr. Britain withdrew her troops from the country at the end of January 1801, sensing imminent doom. The Kingdom of Occitania surrendered on 8 February, 1802, and the Deciatian Republic was established by the victorious French. The Nineteenth Century & The Belle Epoque Although the monarchy's political power has been in a constant state of waning since the mid 18th century, the Kingdom of Occitania wasn't codified as a true constitutional monarchy until 1848. The Great War The Interwar Period World War II The Cold War Civil War The End of the Cold War & A New Millennium Demographics Major Cities =